Conveyer.



No. 819,908. PATENTED MAY 8, 1906.

L. 0. MILLER.

CONVEYER.

APPLICATION FILED .APR. 19 1905.

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ATTORNEYS WITNESSES:

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PATENTEDMAY 8, 1906.

L. 0. MILLER.

CONVEYBR.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 19, 1905.

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WITNESSES:

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LUTHER O. MILLER, OF MIDDLETOWN, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO INDUSTRIAL ENGINEERING COMPANY, OF COLUMBUS, OHIO.

CONVEYER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 8, 1906.

Application filed April 19, 1905. Serial No. 256,359.

To all whmn it may concern.-

Be it known that I, LUTHER O. h/IILLER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Middletown, in the county of Henry and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Conveyers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a new and useful improvement in conveyors.

The object of the invention isto provide a conveyer of the endless type arranged to travel in the arc of a circle and supported to swing from a point coincident with the center of the arc of the circle, so as to be capable of being moved bodily in the same arc in which it travels.

Another feature resides in the conveyer itself, which is arranged so as to travel in opposite directions and different planes, but in the same arc of a circle.

A still further object resides in simple means of superior construction for operating and controlling the conveyer and imparting motion thereto.

Finally, the object of the invention is to provide a device of the character described that will be strong, durable, and efficient, and one in which the several parts will not be liable to get out of Working order.

I/Vith the above and other objects in view the invention consists of the novel details of construction and operation, a preferable embodiment of which is described in the specification and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein Figure 1 is a front elevation of two conveyers constructed in accordance with this invention. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the conveyer construction shown in Fig. 1, illustrating its use in connection with an ordinary box-car, which is indicated in horizontal section. Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line a: :c of Fig. 2, showing a portion of one of the guard-plates broken away to illustrate the belt-supporting rollers. Fig. 4 is a transverse vertical sectional view taken on the line y y of Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a partial plan view of one of the endless belts and its supporting-leg. Fig. 6 is an under side view of a portion of one of the conveyer-legs, and Fig. 7 is a transverse sectional view taken through one of the drums and the conveyer-belt.

In the drawings two conveyers have been shown, and it is to be understood that only one may be used, if desired, and that a description of one of the conveyors will suffice for the analogous parts of both.

The numeral 1 in the drawings indicates the post or pedestal from which the conveyer is supported and swung. A collar 2 is disposed about the base of the pedestal and is provided with a plurality of lugs 4, to which are secured the lower ends of triangular frame parts 5, which are secured at their upper ends to similar lugs 6, formed on a collar 7, supported about the upper end of the pedestal and resting on a shoulder 8. The frame parts 5 at their outer ends support a curved conveyer-leg 9 and are suitably fastened thereto, one of the frame parts being formed with a rectangular portion 10, which fits over and forms the forward end of the leg 9. The leg 9 is formed in the arc of a circle having its center in the center of the pedesta l1, and thus being supported from the frame parts 5 and the collars 2 and 7, which latter lie concentric with the pedestal, it is apparent that when the said frame parts or the leg is moved the latter will swing in the same arc.

The leg 9 comprises concentric inner and outer vertical plates 11 and 12, respectively. These plates may be connected at their bottoms or lower ends by suitable truss-bars 13 or other construction, while they are held together and spaced apart by a plurality of transverse bars 14, secured to the plates 11 and 12 slightly below the center of the same. Arranged immediately above the bars 14 are inverted angular tracks 15, adapted to receive and support wheels 16, mounted on the opposite ends of hinge-rods 17, which latter are disposed between the slats 18 of an endless belt 19. Double angle-irons 20 are secured to the inner and op osite sides of the plates-11 and 12 above t e wheels 16 and have portions projecting downwardly and inside of the wheels, so as to form suitable guides and guards to retain the wheels on the tracks 15 and also to prevent articles carried by the conveyer from coming into contact with the wheels. The conveyer 19 may be of any approved construction, the slat-s 18 being suitably hinged to the rods 17, so as to form snug joints therewith. At each end of the conveyer-leg is arranged a suitable angular drum 21, mounted on a shaft 22. The shaft 22 at the front end of the leg, orthat end adjacent to the framework, is provided 28, loosely supported on the pedestal above the collar 7. its upper side a beveled gear'29.

The gear 28 has keyed upon Motion suitably imparted to the beveled gear 29 will be transmitted by the construction just described to the shaft extension 23, and thus to the drum at the forward end of the conveyer, which owing to its angular construction will drive the conveyer and cause the same to travel around the leg, the drum at the opposite end acting as an idler. The conveyerbelt being of the endless type will travel outwardly toward the idler-drum, around the same, and return in a plane directly therebeneath, the upper and lower lengths thus traveling in opposite directions, but in the same are of a circle.

For the purpose of guiding the belt and holding the same in position as it travels vertically-alined angle-rails 30 and 31 are secured uponthe opposite sides of the bars 14 between the upper and lower lengths of the belt and extending in close proximity to the same, but not contacting therewith. On the under or inner side of each slat 18 is arranged a horizontal guide-wheel 32, suitably A ily;

supported in a bracket 33 and adapted to engage at one side of the rails 30 and 31, it being understood that the rails 30 and 31 are arranged concentric to the plates 11 and 12 and concentric to the arc of the circle in which the belt travels. It will be apparent that owing to the curved construction of the leg 9 the slats will have a tendency to work inward or toward the common center in the pedestal, and the rails 30 and 31 being disposed between the wheels and the said pedestal will receive the said wheels 32, and thus maintain the belt in proper position at all times and prevent the innermost wheels 16 from binding on the plate 11. The drums 21 are recessed, as indicated at 34 in Fig. 7

so as to receive the brackets 33 and the wheel 32, and thus allow the slats to lie in direct contact with the surface of the drums when the same are passing thereover.

It is obvious that any suitable means may be provided for swinging the leg 9 and its supporting-framework or the conveyer bodbut it is preferable to employ a concentric punched plate 35, mounted on the trussbars 13 adjacent the inner side plate 11 and extending from end to end of the leg. This bar 35 is adapted to be engaged bya sprocketwheel 36, and where two legs are employed, as in the double construction shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the sprocket is mounted on a transverse shaft 37, supported in the upper ends of a suitable standard 38, positioned at the point of nearest relation between the legs, which, as is indicated in Figs. 1 and 2, will be in line with the pedestals 1; The sprocketwheels are loosely mounted on the shaft 37, which has fixed in its central portion a wormgear 39, arranged between the sprocketwheels, as illustrated. Each of the sprocketwheels is provided with a notched collar 40, adapted to receive a sliding clutch member 41, splined on the shaft 37 and adapted to be moved into and out of engagement with the collars 40 by suitably-pivoted and connected levers 42, mounted on the standard 38. From this it will be apparent that the conveyer-legs may be moved independently or simultaneously and that it is merely necessary to swing one of the levers 42 downward to slide the clutch member 41 out of engagement with the clutch-collar 40, thus stopping the sprocket-wheel 36 and further movement of the leg, and when it is desired to move one of the legs it is merely necessary to swing-one of the'levers 42 upward, so as to slide the clutch member 41 into engagement with the notched collar 40, thus transmitting motion from the shaft 37 to the clutch member 41 to the collar 40 and the sprocket-wheel 36,- and thereby swinging the conveyer-leg bodily on the pedestal 1. Other means may be ap plied for accomplishing this result, and motion may be imparted to the worm-gear 39 by a worm 43, supported on the standard.

When the double construction is employed, as in Figs. 1 and 2, the upper ends of the pedestals 1 are connected by a cross-head 44, upon the underside of which are arranged suitable hangers 45, supporting a longitudinal shaft 46, which projects beyond the cross-' head 44 at one end and carries a suitable 1 driving-pulley 47, whereby motion is imparted to the shaft. Beveled pinions 48, keyed.

upon the shaft 46, are positioned so as to mesh with the beveled gears 29, keyed upon the gears 28. In this way motion may be transmitted to the conveyer-belts 19 simul taneously from a single fixed point, the construction for transmitting motionfrom the gears 28 to the conveyer-belts being as hereinbefore described.

The various manners in which the conveyer or conveyers can be employed are numerous and their use is general. In Figs. 1 and 2 I have illustrated the double conveyers in connection with an ordinary railway box-car 49, having the usual side dooropenings 50, through which the conveyers are swung. Owing to their curved construction, the conveyers may be swung far into the opposite ends of the car and articles placed upon the conveyer-belts 19 will be carried into the car and delivered at the packing oint, and as the car is gradually loaded t e conveyers may be swung away from the load and out of the car when the same is finally loaded. From this it will be readily discernible that articles or matter placed on the conveyers will always be delivered at the packing or loading point and that the conveyers may be gradually worked along with the load, so as to accomplish the above-mentioned results. It is further to be observed that by the peculiar arrangement and construction of the conveyer leg and belt, whereby the belt returns in the same arc in which it moves outward, the same occupies a comparatively small space and may be projected through narrow openings to places ordinarily inaccessible.

Having now fully described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A conveyer constructed to travel in an arc of a circle and in a horizontal plane and supported to be bodily movable in the arc in -which it travels.

2. A conveyer constructed to have its parts traveling in opposite directions in the same are of a circle, and in a horizontal plane.

3. A conveyer constructed to have its parts traveling in opposite directions in the same are of a circle and in a horizontal plane and supported to be bodily movable in the arc in which it travels.

4. The combination with a central support, of a conveyer supported from the support and constructed to travel in the arc of a circle and in a horizontal plane and having its center in the central sup ort.

5. The combination with a central support, of a conveyer supported from the support and constructed to travel in the arc of a circle and in a horizontal plane and having its center in the central support, means for imparting motion to the conveyer, and means for bodily moving the conveyer.

6. A curved coveyer supported at one end so as to have the greater portion of its length free and unobstructed and adapted to be swung in the arc of a circle, said conveyer being movable in a horizontal plane.

7. In a device of the character described, a central support, a curved conveyer-leg supported in concentric relation to the support, and an endless conveyer arranged to travel on the conveyer-leg in concentric relation thereto, and in a horizontal plane.

8. In a device of the character described, a central support, a curved conveyer-leg supported in concentric relation to the support, an endless conveyer arranged to travel on the conveyer-leg in concentric relation thereto and in a horizontal plane, means for imparting motion to the endless conveyer, and means for moving the conveyer-leg.

9. In a device of the character described, the combination with a central support, of a curved conveyer-leg mounted to swing therefrom wholly within the arc of a circle having its center in the central support, a conveyerbelt arranged to travel in opposite directions on the leg, and means associated with the leg for guiding the belt and causing the same to travel concentrically to the sides thereof.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

LUTHER O. MILLER.

Witnesses:

C. O. SHEPHERD, M. B. ScHLEY. 

